The B2B industry still struggles to find better ways to connect with buyers after so many years of more formal relationships. Things have slowly started to change with B2B buyer connections in the world of eCommerce, though the buying process still isn't always made easy enough. Some B2B companies don’t realize what customers need in a B2B order site and sometimes make placing orders too confusing of a process. Also, just "buy and go" ruins the ability to develop relationships between you and the buyer.
Here at Now Commerce, we've managed to change this direction and bring a more convenient way for your buyers to shop with you while still connecting in a personalized way. B2B buyers have probably already researched the company they want to buy from, so you want a convenient ordering system already in place.
It's true that initial buyer research gives them immediate perceptions about whether you're the right choice to buy from. This may sound disconcerting after putting time and money into marketing, yet the more you can put in place beforehand, the better the initial perception will be.
Let's take a look at what your buyers look for in an e-commerce site and how we make it happen through our B2B e-commerce platform.
A Customized Customer Portal
When you allow an online portal that's customized for each of your customers, you've already leaped forward, providing a more personalized connection. Doing this ultimately works psychologically since you're giving power to the customer to access their accounts and making it intuitive and easy to navigate.
Our software lets you customize everything from the order forms to the sign-in page with your own logo and branding colors. With this available, your sense of branding already feels like a warm greeting rather than just a drab and overly businesslike ordering system.
Most important, though, is the ability to access account information like available inventory, shipment confirmations, tracking information, previous order history, and more. With the autonomy to make purchases and look up routine account information, you hand over control to the buyer rather than jumping through hoops just to make recurring purchases.
Account-Specific Order Forms
Through the customization process, you can set up order forms that pertain to what your buyers regularly buy. B2B buyers prefer this because they can easily go into their own accounts and buy products at will without any lengthy buying process.
Our software allows each account to have various display options so a customer can have a level of familiarity. Order forms have an easy fill-in capability so the buyer can buy the products they need within seconds. In a more mobile culture, buyers want and expect this when they're on the go every second of the day.
As part of that mobile frame of mind, we make product searches faster than ever and very intuitive. Your buyers can find new products they need based on categorization, part #, or keyword, so they don't have to sift through multiple pages to find something specific.
Accessing Accounts at All Times
B2B buyers also want complete assurance that their order is actually finalized. A clumsy or lagging e-commerce system could imply that the order never took place, especially without email confirmation. With our software, your buyers have complete access to their accounts 24/7, which means they can check in on their smartphones no matter where they are in the world.
They'll be assured of their orders and the status of when the order gets shipped out. This feature gives them more assurance about when they'll receive their order. Even more so, they'll know immediately if an item needs back-ordering and not finding out days or a week later.
